As smart phone and tablet computers become more prevalent, the need for an ergonomic handle and a convenient, secure way of mounting these devices has become apparent. Millions of dollars are spent on repairs to phones due to accidental damage each year. Many accessories for these devices are designed to protect the device from damage incurred from dropping the device, but few provide the user with a better grip or reduce the likelihood of dropping the device. Further, none provide a better grip while in the users hands and a way of firmly securing the device so that the user may operate the device in a “hands-free” fashion.
Currently, several mounting systems are available for smartphones and other electronic devices. Methods typically employed for securing a device to a mount include clamps, magnets, or sticky pads. However, clamping the device on its edges, between two surfaces, results in limited accessibility to the buttons typically placed around the periphery of the device. Additionally, a portion of the clamp typically protrudes beyond the plane of the screen of the device, again limiting access to the control screen. Clamps are also limited in the range that they can open and close, making them incompatible with some devices, and they create a physical challenge when engaging a device that is difficult to overcome with one hand. Magnetic mounts are easier to operate with one hand and require little physical dexterity in connecting the device to the mount. However, magnetic mounts do not offer a physical capture of the device, which makes the device more susceptible to being knocked off the mount by shock or vibration.
Therefore, a complementary accessory and mounting system is needed that enhances a user's grip on an electronic device, that enables a user to easily connect the device to a mount that physically captures the device, and that permits the user to maintain physical dexterity and access the device's periphery buttons.